Olympic Facts: What you need to know about Kiribati

1: Kiribati is pronounced Kiri-bas and was mispronounced by officials at the Athens 2004 opening ceremony.

2: Kiribati consists of 32 atolls and one raised coral island stretching almost 4000km along the equator.

3: The islands that forms Kiribati are dispersed throughout three island groups: the Gilbert, Phoenix and Line islands. The three wavy white lines on the flag represent these three groups.

4: The Frigate bird features on the Kiribati flag and the movement of the bird inspires the Kiribati traditional dance.

5: Kiribati attended their first Olympics in 2004 and have been at every games since.

6: Kiribati's flag bearer is David Katoatau (Ke-tow-a-tow), Commonwealth Champion weightlifter, who will be competing in the Men's 105kg weightlifting event on Monday 15th August, and is known for entertaining the crowd with his dance moves at previous events.

7: Kiribati is home to the South Pacific's largest marine reserve.

8: Most Kiribati land stands less than two metres above sea level and is at high risk from rising sea levels cause by climate change. The Olympic team hope to raise awareness about their country's situation amongst the international community whilst at the Games.

Photo and fact credits: The Reporter's Academy

Last Modified on 05/08/2016 08:17

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